Chapter LXVII: Back to the Gaol

The Thousand Sunny soared through the air above the Tarai Current, keeping itself airborne through consecutive Coup de Bursts. Franky had been prepared to keep the ship in the air manually any time it got too low, but Sunny had informed him that she could do it herself at will, which had allowed the cyborg to focus on refueling with his many barrels of cola. One of the perks of having a ship with its own will, Luffy supposed.

On board the ship with the Straw Hats were Ace, Sabo, Law, and Bonney, and while his two brothers seemed right at home, their new alliance members still seemed to feel out of place. They each sat in separate corners of the ship, contemplative.

It was a stark contrast to what Luffy was used to from those who boarded the Sunny. Even the more stoic of their alliance in the previous timeline had learned to say fuck it and got caught up in the chaos of the Straw Hat crew soon enough, but he supposed they were still settling in. He could tell with his Observation Haki that they were both unsure of their places within the alliance, which was strange, because that was never the case before.

But then, the crew hadn't been nearly this strong before. Did they feel like they didn't have as much to contribute?

Frowning, Luffy made his way over and stood in between them, seeing both their gazes follow him.

"Hey guys!" he shouted. "Sorry you had to leave your crews at Sabaody!"

Law just shrugged, while Bonney rolled her eyes. "Not everyone can have a flying ship," she said. "We wouldn't want to leave ours unattended, so it's fine."

"You sound like you're sulking," Law pointed out, one eye open.

Bonney shot him an annoyed look, which he was unfazed by. She sighed.

"I guess I'm just feeling pretty useless. We're going up against the World Government. Straw Hat over here is a powerhouse, along with Ace and the Revolutionary, and even you have a role as a medic. Meanwhile, I'd be a distraction at best against a Marine Admiral."

Luffy's frown deepened, and he was about to retort when Law spoke up.

"Is that all you're worried about? You shouldn't worry about it. You're crucial to my plan, after all."

Luffy grinned, seizing the chance to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, listen to Trafalguy, Bonney!" Luffy said. "You're crucial to the...wait, plan? What plan? You have a plan?" he asked Law.

"For the record, Strawhatter, you may be a good leader, but your strategic planning skills need a lot of work. But to answer your question, yes, I have a plan. And Gluttoner's participation is imperative."

Law began describing his plan in detail, and as he went on, Luffy's grin gradually widened, until it was splitting his face.

"Law, you're the best!" he shouted.

"You thought of a plan like that in such a short time?" Bonney asked.

"It's been a few hours since I was clued into this crazy ass plan to assault Marineford," Law said. "That's plenty of time to think things through. I'm not some scrub who runs in guns blazing without any ounce of strategy in mind."

Luffy pouted. "That's mean."

"Anyway, you'll have to tell Whitebeard when you call him. He could be crossing the Red Line as we speak."

"Luffy!" Franky shouted from his position at the front of the ship. "We're approaching the Gates of Justice!"

Everyone on board the Sunny soon congregated at the front of the ship, staring up at the massive gates that barred their entrance to the undersea gaol. As they drew closer, Sunny materialized.

"As loathe as I am to admit it, my roar can't destroy something like that," she said. "You guys will have to handle it."

Luffy didn't answer, walking towards the figurehead of the ship. Without any prompting, Zoro, Sanji, Ace, and Sabo followed suit.

"Don't tell me...they're gonna bring down the gates, just like that?" Chopper asked.

"Hey Sabo, what's your bounty?" Luffy asked as they all took their positions.

"480 million."

"Great. That brings us up to a good number."

The rest of the crew looked confused. "What are you talking about?" Nami asked. "What's his bounty have to do with it?"

The Sunny continued to fly closer to the gargantuan gates, making some members of the crew nervous.

"Guys? If you're going to do something, do it soon!" Usopp said.

The crew braced themselves, grabbing hold of the Sunny's railing.

The gates were upon them.

At the moment before impact, Luffy's fists enlarged, Zoro's swords blackened, Sanji's leg caught fire, Ace's fist did the same, and Sabo fired off a Rankyaku.

"Grizzly Magnum!"

"1080 Caliber Phoenix!"

"Hell Memories!"

"Fire Fist!"

"Reign of Insurgence!"

"2 Billion Belly Jackpot!" they shouted as one.

Their combined attacks blew a hole through the Gates of Justice, causing a shockwave to nearly blow the Sunny off course. But with one last Coup De Burst…

The Sunny passed through.

Luffy smirked. "Ace, call the old man. Tell him we're at Impel Down, and that he should hold off on his attack." He shot a glance at Law. "And that my allies have one hell of a plan for him."

Sengoku grit his teeth. "Commodore, how are our forces looking?"

"Sir...we have around 40,000 troops," Brannew replied. "More of our bases are responding to our call now, but it was short notice. Even with ships coming in from every direction, I believe we'll have at best 50,000 Marines by the time he gets here."

"That won't be enough…" Sengoku said. "Our higher ranked officers will have to carry us through the battle."

"You and I will need to get involved," Garp informed him. "With Sakazuki, Kuzan, Issho, and the rest of the Vice Admirals backing us up, this may not be a complete disaster."

Sengoku let out a sigh, trying to calm himself. "It will still be the closest we've come to ruin since the beginning of the Great Pirate Era. The world's faith in us will surely take a hit."

"Their faith can be gained back. What's important is that we're still there to gain it back," Garp said.

After Ace called Whitebeard and relayed their new plan, they arrived at Impel Down. The moment the Thousand Sunny landed in the waters next to the undersea prison, it was swarmed by sea kings. Luckily, the ship had two Conquerors on board, and two widespread waves of Haki simultaneously subdued them.

"One of us will have to stay here," Ace told Luffy. "Otherwise there will be no one to keep the sea kings in check."

"In that case, I'll go," Luffy decided. "I have an old score to settle with the warden anyway."

"I'll come with you," Zoro said. "If we can't get the keys to Jinbe's handcuffs, I can cut him loose."

Luffy nodded, before turning to Sabo. "By the way, Iva's here. He's waiting for the Revolutionary Army to make a move on the world before he escapes, so if there's ever a time to tell him his wait is over, it's now."

Sabo looked bewildered. "Ivankov is here? He told us he would join us again once we needed him, but has he seriously been in prison all this time? I could never understand that guy…" He sighed. "Fine. I'll free him."

Luffy and Sabo both launched themselves off the ship and towards the prison. Zoro jumped after them, swinging his swords in a downward arc. The wind pressure from his swings propelled him through the air.

"Guess that leaves us on guard duty," Sanji said.

Another hoard of sea kings surfaced from beneath the water, and Ace chased them off with another wave of Conqueror's Haki.

"...And sea king duty."

When Luffy and Zoro arrived at the prison, the guards were on high alert. Their entrance hadn't been subtle, and no doubt the entire prison knew they were here by now.

They bludgeoned their way through the prison, ignoring the guards trying to stop them. Wasting no time, Luffy punched through the floor with Gear Third, and he and Zoro fell two floors down to Level Two. Unbeknownst to them, Sabo used the distraction to sneak by unnoticed, heading towards the lift and straight down to Level Five.

Zoro, I'm going to cause some chaos as a distraction! Luffy conveyed.

Do we even need one? Zoro replied back.

Couldn't hurt. It might keep Magellan busy for a while.

As Zoro took down guard after guard, manticore after manticore, and even a giant chicken snake hybrid that Luffy had completely forgotten about, the rubber man easily swiped a ring of keys from one of the guards.

He stretched his arm out and unlocked a nearby cell, before throwing the key at the prisoners.

From within the cell, Buggy the Clown stared back, dumbfounded.

"Straw hat!?" he shouted in disbelief.

"Can't talk now, Big Nose! Gotta go!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING BIG NOSE!? WHITEBEARD'S ALLY OR NOT, I'LL MURDER YOU!"

After unlocking his seastone cuffs, Buggy chased after the two Straw Hats in outrage.

"This is one of the worst incidents we've ever had!" Magellan shouted. "Who's attacking the prison, anyway?"

"Sir! I've confirmed that it's Straw Hat Luffy and Demon Wind Zoro!" Hannyabal reported. "Also, you'll surely get demoted for this, and then I'll take your spot!" he added, not realizing he was speaking out loud.

Magellan ignored him. Straw Hat and Demon Wind? As much as it pains me to admit it, there's no way I can defeat a force like that on my own.

"Hannyabal. Send orders to the guards in Level Six. They are to release Shiryu immediately."

After punching another hole in the floor, Luffy and Zoro proceeded down to Level Three.

"They're going deeper!?" Buggy shouted from his place above the hole they'd just made. "Are those flashy bastards even trying to escape? To hell with this, I'm getting out of this hellhole!"

Meanwhile, Luffy did a quick scan with his Observation Haki.

Bentham's not here, he told Zoro.

He must have avoided getting captured this time, the swordsman conveyed back. One less thing to worry about.

Luffy opened another cell, hoping that Magellan would follow the chaos up here so they could free Jinbe before having to deal with him. Neither of them noticed another familiar face inside the cell. Zala, formerly Miss Doublefinger, blinked in surprise as she caught the keys.

Was that Straw Hat? she thought. After freeing herself from the cuffs, she followed after them, curious to know where they were going.

When they proceeded down to Level Four, their Haki protecting them from the heat, Luffy and Zoro were confronted by four large, bipedal animals.

Awakened Zoans? Zoro asked.

Yeah. They were a pain to deal with. Luffy replied. They all follow one of the guards here. I think her name was Maso-chan or something.

An orange haired woman soon blocked their path, brandishing a whip as she stood behind the four Awakened Zoans.

"You two have some nerve, invading Impel Down. I'll be sure to enjoy the delightful sounds of your—!"

"That's nice, Maso-chan," Zoro said, cutting her off. "But we're in a hurry, so stand aside or get cut."

"...WHO ARE YOU CALLING MASO-CHAN!? IT'S SADI-CHAN, ASSHOLE!"

"Do I look like I care which fetish you're named after?" Zoro asked, unimpressed. "You have half a second to move."

Outraged, Sadi raised her whip, but Zoro struck first.

"Hawk Wave," he said, delivering a non lethal air slash that slammed her against a wall and knocked her out.

The four mindless Zoan users immediately reacted to the attack on their leader, charging at Luffy and Zoro with reckless abandon.

"Jet Gatling!"

"Great Dragon Whirlwind!"

And were taken out immediately by their area of effect moves.

You struggled with those guys before? Zoro asked in disbelief as they all fell to the ground.

So? You struggled with baboons on Hawky's island, didn't you? Luffy replied.

...No comment.

As they got further into Level Four, they stopped, both sensing a stronger aura approaching.

"I won't let you proceed any further!" Magellan roared, poison coating his body. A snake-like construct made of poison came rushing towards them, and they both dodged out of the way.

Zoro, go ahead. I'll handle him!

The swordsman rushed passed Magellan, startling Hannyabal who was right behind him. The warden tried to stop him from advancing, but Luffy punched him through a wall, his Haki protecting him from the poison. Hannyabal tried to attack Zoro, but got cut down in an instant.

Magellan rose from the rubble of the wall he crashed into, glaring at Luffy venomously.

"Unforgivable!" he shouted, sending another Hydra Luffy's way. Luffy overpowered it with an Elephant Gun, which splattered the poison everywhere and made contact with Magellan, driving him through another wall and onto the other side of Level Four.

Seething, Magellan's body started secreting a different type of poison, this one being blood red in color.

"This poison is called Kinjite. Not even your Haki will be enough to shield you from it, Straw Hat. Prepare yourself. Venom Demon!"

As the giant poison construct formed, Luffy took a breath and centered himself, knowing that Magellan's boast was far from empty.

Zala snuck through Level Four with ease of practice. Nico Robin hadn't been the only member of Baroque Works who was trained in stealth. Incapacitating one of the guards, she stole his keys and began searching for a certain prisoner.

It didn't take long to locate him. She just had to follow the screams. Soon, she found him in a fight with three other prisoners, if the slaughter could even be called that. Even with the seastone cuffs on, his strength was nothing to scoff at. She waited until he tossed his last bloodied opponent into the boiling water. The prison was clearly in chaos if the guards weren't stopping something like this.

Then again, maybe they didn't care.

"Heads up, Daz." she said, throwing the key his way. He caught it on reflex, before observing her curiously.

"How did you get free?" he asked.

"The Straw Hats are rampaging through the prison."

"I should have guessed it was them. I guess we owe them one since we have a chance to escape now. I'm going to go free the boss. You coming?"

"With you all the way."

Having taken Impel Down's lift down to Level Five, Sabo was now looking for his wayward comrade. Shivering from the cold, he hastened his search.

"Iva should be on this floor, knowing his level of infamy," he said to himself. Reaching out with his Observation Haki, he was surprised to realize that the aura he was searching for was still below him.

"Is he in Level Six?" Sabo wondered aloud. "Oh well. One way to find out."

Taking a leaf out of Luffy's book, he smashed a hole through the floor, falling down deeper into the undersea gaol.

And right on top of Ivankov.

"Something fell on me!" Iva shouted. "My back! My baaack! Ooohh, the paaiiin!"

"Iva! Are you okay!?" the other members of the Kamabakka Kingdom asked.

"I'm fiiiiiiine!"

"So you're not hurt then!? You fooled us!"

Inazuma sighed. "Iva...focus please."

"It's good to see prison life hasn't dampened your spirit, Iva," Sabo said.

"SABO-BOY!?"

In Level Six of Impel Down, two guards hovered nervously over one of their most infamous prisoners.

"Shiryu-san, we have orders to free you," one said. "Your orders are to help apprehend the Straw Hat Pirates."

They unlocked his cuffs and led him out of the cell, handing him his sword. The moment it entered his hand, he smirked and unsheathed it.

"Apologies," he said, before severing them both in half with a single swing. "I'll be exercising my authorization to cut you down."

As the two guards fell to the ground, dead, Shiryu turned to the other prisoners, who were cheering at the bloodshed.

"Attention, prisoners of Level Six. I will free you all on the condition that you follow my lead. What say you?"

The prisoners all howled their agreement, save for two who sat in their cells and ignored the commotion. One had a hook for a hand and a scar across his face, and the other was a blue-skinned fishman.

Among the freed prisoners was a rugged black haired man with a missing arm, burn scars from head to toe, and a savage grin across his face.